Paradise Valley - LOTHENI - DRAKENSBERG

                              “IT IS GOOD SOMETIMES TO TRESSPASS DEEP 

                 IN THE WILDERNESS AND LIVE LIFE WITH

                           UNCOMMON INTENSITY,

                   EXPERIENCING SOMETHING THAT GETS 

                             CLOSE TO THE SUBLIME”

Paradise Valley

LOTHENI DRAKENSBERG

December 2015 – Barely a month and a half after my last seven-day hike in the Drakensberg Wilderness, I had to heed the siren call of my beloved mountains once again. This time I was heading back to Lotheni, a spectacularly beautiful place where I have done hundreds of kilometres of exploration.

Most people who go to Lotheni follow the marked trails, which prevents them from experiencing and understanding the true beauty of this place. Exploring off-trail is hard work, and most people simply won’t do it, which is why they stick to the standard walks.

Lotheni is vast, with absolutely stunning areas that reward the explorer for all the hard work required to reach them. I could wax lyrical about Lotheni for hours, but instead I will stop here and share just one of its magical places with you.

   A long time ago, while on one of my trips, I noticed a forest in a valley. The area fascinated me. From high above, looking down onto the canopy, I sensed there must be something spectacular hidden within.

Accessing this forest was going to be very difficult. It lies between steep valley walls that drop sharply from top to bottom. The valley is about four kilometres long, and a river runs through the middle, though it cannot be seen from outside the forest.

To make a long story short—after a huge amount of hard work—I finally made it into the forest. My breath was taken away by the sheer beauty around me, and it took quite some time before I could even move again. The feeling was as though I had arrived in Paradise… in the Garden of Eden. Never before had I seen such beauty contained within one place. It felt like the home of elves, fairies, trolls, and all the mythical beings you can imagine.

I promptly named the area Paradise Valley. Because of its location and the difficulty of reaching it, the valley has been spared the attention of civilisation and remains absolutely pristine and wild, just as it must have been hundreds of years ago.

I spent hours inside the forest exploring and taking photographs, and it was very difficult to tear myself away and continue with my hike. I followed the river by boulder-hopping and sliding down waterfalls, all the way to where it exits the forest. Because of the steep decline of the valley, there are countless waterfalls within it.

“The memory of the suffering always fades,
while the fulfilment grows brighter.”

Paradise Valley is indeed a very special place and will remain in my memories forever.

For the effort of using my legs, I was rewarded tenfold, as is always the case on my hikes in the Drakensberg Wilderness. I have touched some of the most magical places in the Berg—places of spectacular beauty where man was never meant to go.

   I do not know when I will next return to the mountains, but I already feel that I have been blessed with more than my fair share of sublime moments. Still, I know I will not stay away for long.

Would I be willing to share the exact location of Paradise Valley?

“If I don’t tell the secret,
then it is my slave.
If I do,
then I am its slave.”

I am sharing some photographs of Paradise Valley, but seeing it up close is far better than any picture could ever capture. Do yourself a favour—go and explore the beauty and uniqueness of Lotheni. You will never regret it.

⚠️ Note: It is not possible to enter this forest during a normal rainy season, or when it is raining heavily. Attempting it would be extremely dangerous and not life-sustaining.

We as hikers, explorers, and adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses. Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!

 

The End.

 

Safe Hiking.

           

References and Acknowledgements

From the book: “Drakensberg Wilderness – A Solo Journey Through                                                           Paradise” –W Pelser

Photos:  Willem Pelser

Compiled by:  Willem Pelser

GIANT’S CASTLE

“THE VIEW WAS OF A
TRIANGULAR PEAK, SOME TWO THOUSAND FEET ABOVE US, STANDING IN A CLOUDLESS SKY”

CALIBAN. ON SIGHTING GIANT’S CASTLE, 1912

GIANT’S CASTLE

   On a clear day you can see, from a hilltop in Mooi River (a small farming town in the shadow of the Drakensberg), the Giant’s Castle massif dominating the skyline some seventy kilometers to the west. The image resembles a huge figure lying on its back, staring into the sky, peaceful, silent and contemplative. The Castle itself, which forms the Giant’s head, has three high points, the middle or ‘nose’ being the main summit. This point rises to 3 314 meters, unusually high for a peak set away from the main escarpment wall.

   Known to the Zulu people as Bhulihawu, ‘the place of the field thrasher’, or Phosihawu, meaning ‘the shield finger’, the peak is the largest example of a singular mass in the Drakensberg, extending away from the range in an easterly direction for more than three kilometers. The more superstitious called it Ntabayikonjwa, ‘the mountain to which you must not point’, for fear it will retaliate with bouts of violent weather. Owing to its size, the peak’s ability to manipulate the forces of nature on occasion is quite feasible.

When looking up from in its immediate valleys, Giant’s Castle’s main summit takes on a spectacular pyramidal shape, with two sweeping ridges descending to the southeast and north, like great arms embracing the valley below. Many of the earlier climbing routes are found in this area, and a beautifully placed mountain hut waits in the valley, providing a good base from which to start most of the Castle’s technical climbs.

THE PLACE OF VULTURES

   Around to the right of this valley extends the mighty north wall. In 1997, one of the most ambitious Drakensberg routes was completed on this enormous precipice. The climb, following an extremely thin weakness, boasts some of the finest and most committing climbing in the Drakensberg range to date, testament to the high level of mountaineering that can be achieved in the area. The route was named after the Bearded Vultures, or Lammergeier (meaning ‘lamb grabber’), that grace the peak’s surrounding skies.

   As early as 1941 the peak had been considered as a mountaineering objective, when a climber pioneered a route up the treacherous looking Eastern Gully.

   Despite this early interest, face-climbing proper only began when climbers completed what is now considered a classic line up the north face in 1950. The opening of Schole’s Route fired a new interest in the peak as a mountaineering and climbing sanctuary. The establishment of a second route on the north wall in 1971, veering right from the start of Schole’s Route, reasserted the peak’s importance as one of the range’s most challenging mountaineering summits. With routes like Lammergeier and more recently the Land Der Gesetzlosen (‘Land of the Lawless’), the Giant’s north wall is fast becoming a big-wall test piece for southern African climbers.

   On the southern slopes, winter mountaineering and ice-climbing developments add a new dimension of challenge on the Giant, offering an aspect of the sport that is often difficult to practice in Africa owing to the warm climate.

   The Giant, with its shear faces, particularly its north wall, holds numerous future climbing prospects. The peak is likely to be a focal point in African climbing in the 21^st century.

Giant’s Castle is a place of dreams, of staring at the stars by night and the blue skies with white cotton-wool clouds by day.

IT IS A PLACE UNTOUCHABLE BY MAN. IT IS A RESTING PLACE OF GIANTS.

1 – Frontal Route – First Climbed 1955

2 – Schole’s Route – First climbed 1950

3 – Colli Extendenticum – First climbed 1971

4 – South East Ridge – First Climbed 1954

5 – Lammergeier – First Climbed 1997

6 – Land Der Gesetzlosen – First Climbed 1998

We as hikers, explorers, and
adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses.
Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!

The End.

Safe Hiking.

Acknowledgements

Extract from the book – Serpent Spires – Duncan Souchon

Photos – Willem Pelser, The Mountain Man.

GOING BACKPACKING…..

“THE FORESTS ARE MY
THOUGHTS AND THE STARS ARE MY DREAMS,

THE WILDERNESS IS MY
HEART, IT IS MY PULSE,

THE SONGS OF THE
WILDERNESS WRITE THE MUSIC OF MY SOUL.”

UNKNOWN

GOING BACKPACKING…..

  

A few days’ backpacking can bring unrivaled freedom. Organization is the key to a good night under the stars and to make the wilderness your home. Backpacking makes you a free agent in the wilderness and keeps you in touch with nature. You get to experience it at its best, woken by sunrise and sudden rainfall……………

What to take

   When you go backpacking you basically need to take the same gear as you have for the day-walks, and supplement that with the things you need to sleep and eat. Thinking this way makes it easier to work logically through your kit list to make sure you have not missed anything essential.

Packing your backpack

   There’s a real art to packing a backpack because you need to consider a number of factors. Firstly, make sure the items you want during the day are easily to hand. These include waterproofs, hat and gloves and snacks; keep these near the top of your pack or in accessible pockets. You also need to make sure that your tent, poles, and pegs are easy to get to. If you arrive at your camping spot in pouring rain, you want to be able to get the tent up quickly without having to empty the contents of your pack.

   But you also need to create little dry pockets in your backpack. How you do this will depend on the design of your backpack. You could use a one compartment pack and a liner to create a dry area at the bottom of your pack. In there you put your sleeping bag and any spare clothes. So you know that when you set-up camp, they will be dry.

   If you are using a pack with side pockets, use one as a ‘clean’ pantry, to store water bottles and walking snacks. Store food and snacks in stuff sacks to make sure they don’t get contaminated. Use the other pockets to store your fuel bottle, tent pegs (an item that can easily get lost inside your pack) and any non-edible items that might contaminate food.

   Finally, you want to make sure that you pack heavy items above your center of gravity and close to your back as this will really improve the stability of your pack. Fold your mat and slide it into the pack nearest your back. This gives you extra padding and prevent items digging in while you are walking.

Fitting your backpack

   A poorly fitting pack can quickly make a backpacking trip miserable, so it is worth making sure that yours spread the load evenly across your shoulders and hips. The first thing to do is to loosen the shoulder straps and ensure that the hipbelt is resting just on the top of your hips. You should now adjust the back length so that the straps curve perfectly around your shoulders, and then tighten the shoulder straps using the chest height adjusters. Finally you need to tighten the top tensioning straps over your shoulders as to bring the backpack in close to your back. This helps to make the pack more secure, and also more comfortable as you are walking.

Using trekking poles

   Most people use trekking poles incorrectly. They are really useful for taking some of the strain off your legs, but if you are not using them correctly then you are not going to get the most out of them.

   The problem comes from how people use the wrist loops. You need to loop your hands in from underneath the strap and then bring your hand down to grip the handle and the top part of the loop.

   When you are adjusting the poles for length, take the bottom section of the pole to the stop line and then adjust using the middle section, as this keeps the end of the pole lighter. Your poles should be roughly at elbow height.

Approach to long walks

   When you start walking take things easy at the beginning. Go slow for the first hour to allow your muscles and heart to adjust. If you have been sitting in the office for the last week, you can’t expect your body to leap into action immediately.

   If you are walking over a few days, plan in a few rest periods. Take the first day fairly easily; aim to walk gently for no more than six hours with plenty of rests. The second day you can up the pace a little, but on the third day it is a good idea to drop back on the distance you covered on the first day. After that you can pretty much walk as far as you feel able, but do listen to your body.

Food and drink

   Have plenty of snacks and make sure you take more than you think you will need. Spare food is useful for emergency situations and you might surprise yourself with just how much your body requires.

   Try to eat something every hour and keep drinking at regular intervals. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to take a drink; keep sipping water throughout the day.

We as hikers, explorers, and
adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses.
Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!

 

The End.

Safe Hiking.

References and Acknowledgements

From the book: “The Ultimate Hiking Skills – Hinkes/Bagshaw”

Photos:  Willem Pelser

Compiled by:  Willem Pelser